These are the 5 best Christmas films (All other lists are wrong)
Christmas is in 3 days, so I’ve decided to declare the official 5 Best Christmas Films. These are the only correct answers. All other lists are null and void. Yes, Die Hard is a Christmas film, but it isn’t very good. So it isn’t on the list. Enjoy!
THE POLAR EXPRESS (2004)
Polar Express is my jam. This will be my 14th year in a row watching the Robert Zemeckis classic on Christmas Eve. I don’t mind the dead eyes. I ignore the profoundly irritating song the poor boy sings (and that character in general, in fact). Polar Express has a sense of wonder and suspense about Christmas mythology that I adore, and the single-take ticket scene (see above) is a truly stunning technical feat.
THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (1940)
It’s A Wonderful Life is lovely, but it tries a little too hard. Ernst Lubitsch’s Shop hits the perfect balance of sentiment and wry comedy. Because it really isn’t Christmas until Jimmy Stewart says so.
SCROOGED (1988)
Scrooged is the rock ‘n roll A Christmas Carol. Bill Murray’s trademark grouchiness makes for a compelling postmodern Ebeneezer. An edgy but warm-hearted delight.
FRED CLAUS (2007)
Fred Claus is one of those mid-2000s family comedies that nobody remembers fondly because they didn’t get the jokes as kids. Well, you should revisit Fred Claus, because it’s pretty phenomenal. Vince Vaughn is chased by hundreds of Santas through New York to the sound of “Surfin’ Bird” (as good as any scene in Baby Driver), visits a support group for brothers of celebrities (along with a Clinton, Baldwin and Stallone), Paul Giamatti plays the Santa Claus and Kevin Spacey gets to wear a Superman cape. A really smart movie.
ELF (2003)
I’ve become a tad cynical of Elf as it has risen to Universally Beloved status, but it’s hard to deny what a fabulous film it is. It’s strange that James Caan, who starred in the goddamn Godfather, will be most widely remembered for a Christmas comedy, but there ya go. Elf stops just short of being too cynical or too sincere, it operates on a very thin line, and it succeeds.
Honourable mentions: It’s A Wonderful Life (1946), A Christmas Carol (2009), The Santa Clause (1994), The Santa Clause 2 (2002), The Santa Clause 3 (2007), Jingle All The Way (1996), Home Alone 2 (1994), Batman Returns (1992)
